East Liberty Presbyterian Church: The Cathedral of Hope



East Liberty Presbyterian Church: The Cathedral of Hope, Reaching Up, Reaching Out, Reaching You Welcome

 
 
116 S. Highland Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412/441-3800
  Welcome to East Liberty Presbyterian Church,
The Cathedral of Hope

Our congregation seeks to promote peace, justice and human dignity; to reflect a spirit of openness, sharing, and learning in our ministry and mission; to build a richly diverse faith community that witnesses to our oneness in Christ across all boundaries of race, social class, ability, culture, age, gender and sexual identity.

 
 

Newsletter

Calendar

Multimedia

Map and Directions

Site Map

Search

Get the latest news about services, classes and special events at ELPC!

Signup for our Email NewsFlashes

 

 

News highlight

July Reaching Out
Read the July Reaching Out newsletter on the web. Rev. Bush's pastoral message is included below.

Sunday services and classes

July 5 Services (with Celebration of the Lord's Supper)

  • 8:00 am: Good Samaritan Worship.
  • 10:00 am: Sanctuary Worship; the Rev. Dr. Randall K. Bush preaching.
July 5 Christian Education
  • Contemporaries: "At the Name of Jesus," from Multitude of Blessings, led by Joe Kennedy and Mary Alice Lightle." Join us in the Parlor (second floor) for a six week summer session around Dr. Cynthia M. Campbell's book, A Multitude of Blessings. How do Christians who trust in God and follow Jesus Christ in their daily lives, who believe that religious beliefs really do matter, and who want to treat people of all religious backgrounds with respect, account for the existence and vitality of the world's religions?
  • Journey with Scripture, Parenting Circle, Seekers: Classes will resume on Rally Day, September 13.

Youth and Young Adults

  • Young Adult Ministries Summer Sunday School Series: Spiritual Gifts. What counts as a spiritual gift? How do we discern what gifts we have? Join us on Sunday mornings at 9:00 am in the second floor Pastor's Conference Room as we take up these questions and more.

Additional worship and prayer opportunities during the week

  • Taizé prayer service: Every Wednesday, 7:00 pm in the chapel. Childcare available from 6:45 pm to 7:15 pm. July 1 Taizé service will be followed by a special organ recital by Jennifer Gorske.
  • Labyrinth Prayer Walk: Mondays, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, and Wednesdays, 10:00 am - 9:00 pm.
  • Centering Prayer: Tuesdays, 7:00 pm, room 250.

ELPC News

Youth Ministries Local Summer Mission Trip: Break the Illusion
ELPC youth will serve right here at home for our annual Mission Trip, from Wednesday July 15 at 7 pm to 10 am on Sunday, July 19, joined by youth from Wallace Memorial Presbyterian Church in Green Tree.

The youth will serve with Open Hand Ministries, rehabbing homes in Pittsburgh's East End, spend time with local Social Service Ministries, and more. One (required) training session on Sun., July 5, immediately following the 10 am, worship service, until 1:30 pm, in Room 51. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to Pastor Heather by Sun., July 5.

Looking for lawn volunteers
Thanks to Darrell Bupp and Don Breitbarth, ELPC's lawn looks great. Can you help mow, too? Call Chuck Lukehart, (412) 782-6447.

ELPC in the Community

East End Cooperative Ministries Food Pantry
During the summer, families of children who qualify for school breakfast and lunch programs face the additional cost of providing these meals on limited budgets. The Poverty Committee and the EECM ask that we focus our summer offerings on items that can help the pantry provide lunch for children, such as: juice boxes, graham crackers, applesauce, raisins or other dried fruit. Thank you.

Pastoral Message

by The Rev. Dr. Randall K. Bush

Consider these two short biographies:
1: Born in 1830, she was the daughter of a strict Calvinist father. Had a shy disposition and frail health, but was a talented writer, musician and gardener. Apart from one trip to Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, she did not travel much beyond her home in Amherst, Mass. By her late 20s, she lived in almost complete seclusion, only speaking to most visitors from behind slightly-open doors. Less than a dozen of her poems were published during her lifetime. Died of kidney disease in 1886, at the age of 55.

2: Born in 1874 and died in 1963, at the age of 88. One marriage, six children. Fairly poor when young. Involved in farming and, later, teaching jobs in various schools. Not much traveling until late in his life; he mostly resided in New England. Said Joseph Brodsky: "If biography accounts for poetry, this one should have resulted in none."

What qualifies as a good life? We often put a lot of emphasis on the height, breadth, and length of a person's life. We list off their accomplishments in résumés and obituary notices, telling of the heights they conquered through perseverance and hard work. We describe the far-reaching influences of people through noting the breadth of lives they touched in a wide range of settings. We celebrate the longevity of their lives, especially when the length exceeds 70 or 80 years. Those are all admirable traits and are well worth noting. However, a fourth dimension is lacking in the above summary. A good life is usually one marked by an exceptional depth. Depth in life may be hard to measure, but, like good art, you know it when you encounter it. It involves a grounded spirit and a trustworthy character. It involves a willingness to commit for the long haul, to see things through to the end. It's similar to a swimming hole in which it's safe to dive in deeply, a beloved spot in which waves and turbulence are rarely present. It's a personal interior, rich in treasures and wisdom from whose storehouse others benefit by receiving advice, counsel, and inspiration.

Depth can be found in people who never travel very far in their lives, who never gain widespread fame or ascend to peaks of popularity in the world's eyes. It's primarily a spiritual quality. It's most commonly found in people at peace with themselves and with others, people active in prayer and quick to say "Thank You," and people committed to leaving the world a bit better for their having walked upon this earth for a brief span of time. To aspire to lead a life of depth is a holy and a precious thing.

By the way, the biographies summarized above are of the American poets Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. After her death, a trove of over 1,700 poems was found in Dickinson's trunks, securing her place as a preeminent American poet. Frost, the only poet to win four Pulitzer Prizes, harvested from his quiet New England life a rich array of verse that still inspires and touches lives today. Lives of depth, indeed.

"Earth's the right place for love: I don't know where it's likely to go better."
- Birches, by Robert Frost
"Who has not found the heaven below will fail of it above."
- Emily Dickinson
"God's residence is next to mine, His furniture is love."
- Emily Dickinson

Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 2:4,5)

If we're to take all of these poems seriously, then let us seek to lead lives of depth.

 


Worship. Our diverse congregation with people of varied racial, ethnic, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds is a microcosm of the metropolitan area of Pittsburgh. We embrace this wonderful collage by offering various worship services and ways to experience God’s presence.

Mission Support and Community Involvement. We are deeply involved in Christian ministry to its community both locally and globally through ministries of justice and peacemaking.

Education. We are a spirit-led community dedicated to teaching each other, using scriptural and theological resources, our own inquiries and experiences, as well as exploring the faith of those who have gone
before us.

Pastoral and Spiritual Care. Members of our pastoral staff offer genuine help in dealing with problems, making decisions, facing responsibilities or seeking forgiveness. Lay people, through our Stephen Ministry program, are also skilled and trained in caregiving.



EECM Food Pantry Donations
The East End Cooperative Ministry Food Pantry provides food for many people facing hunger in Pittsburgh. Our congregation continues to answer the call in the struggle against hunger, but we need your continued support. Donations may be left in the baskets located throughout the church’s hallways.

Men’s Shelter Donations
The EECM men's shelter needs your help. While their need is consistent, donations have declined. Drop off donations in the basket located in the hallway.

New! MySpace Page for the Young Adults Group
Brian Diebold has created a MySpace page for the Young Adults group. You can find it at: www.myspace.com/youngadultselpc

ELPC Goes Wireless
East Liberty Presbyterian Church now has wireless internet connectivity. While it is available through a good portion of the building, people are welcome to sit in the library or McKelvy Room and use their laptops to access the internet. Our server name is "Hope", but you don't need a password to connect to it.

East Liberty Presbyterian Church: The Cathedral of Hope

"...inviting all to join our diverse, inclusive family of faith,
transcending all boundaries of race, class, ability, culture,
gender and sexual identity to become one in Christ."


For more information, call the church office, (412) 441-3800 or email info@cathedralofhope.org.

Back to top


Home | About Us | Worship | Programs | Calendar | Contact Us | Site Map

Questions about the ELPC website?
Contact the ELPC Webmaster info@cathedralofhope.org.

updated 2009-06-30